United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has tended to pack his midfield for games at the Emirates, but Wenger believes his team have what it takes to win at the weekend.

''They sometimes have a very compact midfield to kill our passing game and get us on the counter-attack. They do that very well,'' he said.

''I believe that sometimes it works for them, although last year we beat them 1-0 in a convincing way. It depends on how well we play on the day, how well we pass the ball through their lines, no matter how many are in there.''

Wenger will hope to have defender Thomas Vermaelen back on Sunday, but Thierry Henry could struggle to renew his rivalry with the Red Devils.

Centre-back Vermaelen has not played since he limped out of the 1-0 victory against QPR on New Year's Eve, while Henry has been hampered by a calf problem following the disappointing 3-2 defeat at Swansea and has only just returned to full training.

Midfielder Mikel Arteta could also still be sidelined this weekend having missed the trip to Wales with a calf strain.

Wenger is short of defensive cover, but as yet has not moved in the loan market, with left-back still a priority as Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Andre Santos are all out.

A depleted Arsenal were thrashed 8-2 at Old Trafford earlier this season and defender Johan Djourou has his sights set on revenge.

''We have the away game still in our minds so there is revenge to take. We have to keep working hard to try to improve,'' Djourou said.